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Culturally Responsive Leadership

Mary A. Bussman, Paula O’Loughlin, and Dr. Jean Lubke

Equity Alliance MN

February 8, 2018

Welcome and Introductions

• Dr. Jean Lubke

• Mary Bussman

• Paula O’Loughlin

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Session Objectives

• Describe culturally responsive leadership and equity

• Increase knowledge of self, culture, and implicit bias

• Provide time for self-reflection & discussion

• Apply our culturally responsive learning to decision-making

Agreements

• Accept and expect non-closure

• Assume positive intentions

• Agree to disagree

• Speak your own truth by using “I”

• Experience discomfort and know it’s a necessary part of the learning

• Share your own story (not talking about or sharing others’ stories)

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What Do You See in this Image?

Equity

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Equity

What is Culture and Who Has It?

Culture Is: • How we communicate, how we live our lives and the beliefs &

values we hold • Shared patterns that help us make meaning of our environment

and determine appropriate behavior • Our lived experiences and our learned behavior

Each one of us has our own culture and every space has a culture

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Components of our Cultural Selves

• Age

• Race

• Gender

• Orientation

• Religion

• Socio-economic status

• Political affiliation

• Relationship(s)

• Family role(s)

• Membership to

organizations

• Profession

• Ethnicity

• Nationality

• Talents

• Etc.

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Critical Self-consciousness

• How did it feel to deny parts of your identity? • What do we expect our youth to leave at the door? • How about our staff?

Culturally Responsive School Leadership

▪ Critical consciousness of self

▪ Ensure that teachers and staff are culturally responsive in pedagogy

▪ Ensure that curriculum is culturally responsive

▪ Create and sustain inclusive school environment

▪ Engagement and involvement in school community

(Khalifa, Gooden, & Davis, 2016)

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Fostering Equitable Culture

Inclusive Leadership for Equity and Accountability

Critical Self-Reflection, Self- Consciousness, and Growth

Authentic Family and Community Collaborations, Partnerships, Engagement, Connections

System Infrastructure

Inquiry for Equity

Equitable Resource Development

Access and Inclusion

Strategic Plans, Organizational Vision, and Shared Accountability

Culturally Responsive Instruction

Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum

Influencing the Socio-Political Context

Building External Partnerships

Ongoing Critical Self-Reflection, Self-Consciousness, and Growth

Partners for Equity Development: Systemic Educational Equity Organizational Assessment

http://www.partnersforequitydevelopment.com/ August 2017

Critical self-consciousness and Implicit Bias

• "The mind is an automatic association-making machine. When it encounters any information--words, pictures, or even complex ideas--related information automatically comes to mind” (Banaji & Greenwald, 2013)

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“Beliefs about students' capacity and willingness to learn, assumptions about the behavior of students, especially those from different ethnic and social backgrounds, and expectations formulated on the basis of our own value system can potentially be sources for responding inappropriately to students.”

Barbara Larrivee (2000)

Critical Self-consciousness and Bias

Becoming Aware of Implicit Bias

• When do you get exasperated?

• What do you avoid?

• When do you hear yourself say, “If only they would….” • From whose cultural values are you operating? • Do those values match your community members’

values? • If not, how will you navigate the differences? Where do

you have room to maneuver within the system right now?

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Application

•How are we aware of our culture, our biases, our level of responsiveness when making a decision?

• Let’s practice

Policy and Practices Review the policy or practice and, thinking of our learning around our cultural selves, implicit bias, and culturally responsive board leadership, ask these four questions:

• Who benefits from this policy?

• Who is disadvantaged by this policy?

• What assumptions are we making?

• Whose voices are we missing?

(Consider your students, families, staff, teachers, and community).

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School Calendar

Ask:

• Who benefits from this practice?

• Who is disadvantaged from this practice?

• What assumptions are we making?

• Whose voices are we missing?

Then ask: • Does it have to be this

way?

• If the practice were to be more equitable, what changes would need to be made?

Culturally Responsive Leadership

• How were these questions helpful? • How did they challenge you? • How do they apply to your district?

• Do your directors and/or school board have guiding questions that direct your discussion?

• As you move forward in your work, what other practices do you address where you can apply these same questions?

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Developing Equitable School Systems

• When you consider your role as a school district leader, how does starting with your own self-consciousness add to overall cultural responsiveness?

• How does cultural responsiveness impact your ability to direct an equitable district?

Culturally Responsive Leadership Start with Self

• Self—reflection: what do you know about your own culture?

• Listen without discounting others’ experiences

• Expand your cultural knowledge —theater, literature, history, music, visual arts

• Seek authentic connections

• Be curious: Ask questions and listen

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Resources in Decision-Making

• Portland Public Schools

• Roseville Area Schools

• West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan School District

Resources

PARTNERS FOR EQUITY DEVELOPMENT - Home

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Questions or Comments?

Mary A. Bussman Mary.Bussman@equityalliancemn.org

651-379-2627 Paula O’Loughlin

Paula.Oloughlin@equityalliancemn.org 651-379-2628 Dr. Jean Lubke

Jean.Lubke@equityalliancemn.org 651-379-2675

6063• Hudson Road • Suite 218 • Woodbury • MN • 55125